Game of Thrones Just Made Television History

If Game of Thrones ended its run with zero accolades, the show would still hold a key place in the annals of television. The HBO fantasy series upped TV's cinematic language, mainstreamed the geekiest story imaginable, and introduced the world to some of cable's most vicious characters. But luckily for Westeros addicts looking for legitimacy, Thrones is an awards favorite—and this year, the show made Emmy history.

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On Sunday night, Game of Thrones became the first show to earn 12 Emmys in a single year, surpassing The West Wing, which held the record with nine. At the 67th Annual Emmy Awards broadcast, the show picked up wins for writing (David Benioff and Dan Weiss), directing (David Nutter), best actor (Peter Dinklage), and Outstanding Drama Series, where it bested Mad Men in a heated race. This adds to Thrones' eight wins at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards—in categories like editing, makeup, and stunts—earlier this month.

With its new statues, Thrones is now tied with Hill Street Blues and West Wing for the title of most-honored series of all time. All three shows have earned 26 awards during their runs, a number Thrones will blow past when it's inevitably up for a new slew of awards in 2016.

Game of Thrones Season 6 is currently filming—with or without Jon Snow—and is expected to air in 2016.